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Sunday, January 15, 2017

Wisdom Displayed

Major events are happening in the United States and around the world with the election of an Outsider here in the States and Brexit in the UK. These events happened against fierce opposition from powerful and influential groups, but the people were ready for something new and voted for real change. People suddenly have a renewed hope and a sense of liberty, but that liberty is in the natural realm. I believe we are about to witness and partake of the greatest release of God’s Spirit in the Body of Christ which will liberate the church from the things that have held her stagnate. 1 Corinthians 15:46 says, “The spiritual did not come first, but the natural and after that the spiritual.”

There are two main systems in this world that control humanity; one is the government system and the other is the religious system. An important thing to remember is that both were ordained by God and given to benefit man.However, when the purpose of these systems is corrupted they will produce evil in the form of divisions, stagnation, hatred and oppression.Let me remind you, first the natural, then the spiritual.Isaiah 14:24-27 reads, “The Lord almighty has sworn, surely as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will stand.I will crush the Assyrian in My land, on my mountains I will trample Him down.His yoke will be taken from my people, and his burden removed from their shoulders. This is the plan determined for the whole world; this is the hand stretched out over all nations. For the Lord almighty has purposed and who can thwart Him? His hand is stretched out, and whocan turn it back?”Isaiah 29:14 reads, “Therefore once more I will astound these people with wonder upon wonder; the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish.” The scriptures tell us God’s enemy is in control of both systems. But we have the assurance that God's plan will continue to unfold.

We who have been entrusted with leadership should recognize the weight of our responsibility. I believe our attitude should be that of the Apostle Paul in Colossians 1:28-29, “We proclaim Him (Christ) admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.To this end I labor, struggling with all His energy, which so powerfully works in me.”Today is the time for Divine Wisdom in the Body of Christ. We as God’s people need to know that our existence does not come from this world. John 17:16 says, “Theyare not of this world, even as I am not of it.”

Proverbs 4:7 gives us great advice, “Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom, though it costs all you have, get understanding.” To understand why wisdom is supreme, let’s go back in history to 1 Kings 10: 1-9, “When the Queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon and his relation to the name of the Lord, she came to test him with hard questions.Arriving at Jerusalem with a very great caravan – with camels carrying spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones – she came to Solomon and talked with him about all that she had on her mind.Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for the King to explain to her.When the Queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon and the palace he had built, the food on his table the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, his cupbearers and the burnt offering he made at the temple of the Lord, she was overwhelmed.She said to the King, “The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and wisdom is true.But I did not believe these things until I came and saw with my own eyes, indeed, not even half was told me; in wisdom and wealth you have far exceeded the report I heard.How happy your men must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! Praise be to the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel.Because of the Lords love for Israel, He has made you king, to maintain justice and righteousness.” We must see the importance and the great value God places on wisdom.Notice what drew the Queen of the South to Solomon; first, the ‘fame of Solomon”, second, “his relation to the name of the Lord.” I remind you of what Jesus said in Matthew 12:42, “…. and now one greater than Solomon is here.” As Christians if divine wisdom is in us, why are there so many in the church, disappointed, discouraged and sometimes angry with God, looking to the world for contentment and fulfillment? It will benefit us to listen to the words and counsel of Solomon in Ecclesiastes 2:10-11, “I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor, yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.” Contentment and fulfillment is not in the riches of this world. Wisdom, God’s wisdom reigns supreme, get wisdom.

Lets again read 1 Kings 10:4-5, “When the Queen of Sheba saw allthe wisdom of Solomon, the palace, the food, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, his cupbearers, the burnt offerings he made at the temple of the Lord, she was overwhelmed.” She continued in verse 8, “How happy your men must be!! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom.” Her soul was so overwhelmed with all she saw and heard, that she praised the Lord.Ephesians 1:17-18 reads, “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you….” I believe our Lord wants to make it clear that we should not be seeking the wealth of the world, but wisdom. It was not only the Queen that came bearing gifts to hear wisdom from Solomon, 1 Kings 10: 24 reads, “The whole worldsought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart.” We should have no question why God wanted this part of history recorded. God divinely planned and purposed that the Queen of Sheba come before King Solomon to see God’s wisdom magnificently displayed. Now, Jesus is saying of the Holy Spirit in John 16:14, 15, “Hewill bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.” Envision yourself displaying the Glory of Divine Wisdom.Are you seeing how important wisdom is?It is time to take God’s word seriously so we will not be taken captive by the deception of this world.

I am sure you can agree that the church has so much knowledge; every denomination has its own institute. But where is wisdom? Can wisdom be taught by a man?Knowledge without wisdom is dangerous. Divine wisdom in John 5:39-40 says, “You diligently study the scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.” Proverbs 8:34-35 reads, “Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway.For whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the Lord.”

Two thousand years ago an Outsider, Jesus, came into this corrupt world; one that not only came to deliver the souls from corruption, but to deliver the spirit from the power of death. He came to unite us with Himself. Jesus says in John 17:23, “I in them and You in me so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that You sent me and have loved them even as You have loved me.” We were created by Divine Wisdom and we are in Divine Wisdom. What a glorious thought! Let me illustrate what I mean when I say ‘in Divine Wisdom’. I have a pitcher of water (wisdom) and three empty glasses.I pour water into each glass.I fill one glass a fourth full; the next glass halfway full; the third glass three fourths full. It does not matter which glass you drink from, they all will satisfy your thirst because they all were filled from the same substance of the one pitcher. As earthen vessels, we are endowed with the same Spirit as Christ Jesus.I believe it is time we know what Spirit we, as God’s children, are made of. Isaiah 11:1-3 reads, “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse: from his roots a branch will bear fruit.The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him - the Spirit of Wisdom and of Understanding, the spirit of Counsel and of Power, the Spirit of Knowledge and of the Fear of the Lord, and He will Delightin the fear of the Lord.”Our Lord Jesus said in Matthew 16:18, “…. I will build my church (Body) and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” I pray the Holy Spirit helps you realize the seriousness of the times we are living in.

Proverbs 9:1, “Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn out its seven pillars.”The seven pillars are the seven spirits we just read in Isaiah 11. Revelations 4:5 reads, “…. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God.” These spirits were given to our Lord without measure. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 12:13, “For we were all baptized by one spirit into one body – whether Jews, or Greeks, slave or free, and we were all given the one spirit to drink.”Our Heavenly Father knew what we would confront in these days; no doubt He gave us everything we need to come into our destiny. We lack nothing. Our Lord, the Outsider, came from heaven to reveal and accomplish His purpose.Romans 11:33 reads, “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments, and His paths beyond tracing out.”I conclude with Luke 7:35, “But wisdom is proved right by all her children.”Selah!